Once More Unto the Breach (episode)
With the Dominion War raging, the old Klingon warrior Kor feels left out of the action, and looks for some way to get his share of the honor of battle. However, his efforts to play a part are stymied by Martok, who holds a grudge with Kor. Summary Kor is getting older and there is no place in the Empire where his services are needed anymore. He comes to Worf, begging him for an assignment in the fleet, to be able to end his life as he lived it. General Martok, however, has a strong resentment against the Dahar Master. When Martok was still young, his officer candidature was refused by Kor, preventing him from serving even as a soldier in the Klingon fleet, until the Klingon from a humble origin gained a battlefield commission. With the memories of the humiliation still vivid, Martok has difficulties accepting a member of his own house helping his old enemy. He finally allows Worf to do as he pleases, but makes it clear that he will take no responsibilities in the matter. Worf offers Kor the chance to serve as third officer on the lead ship in a raid on Trelka V. This has the side effect of greatly irritating Martok while every one of his officers are thrilled to have the living legend aboard. Only to make matters worse, Martok's attack plan bears many similarities to the one used at Caleb IV, a famous raid executed by Kor and Kang against the Federation. When the raid takes place, Martok and Worf are wounded and the command falls to Kor. In the following moments, the old Klingon confuses reality with his memories and almost gets everyone killed, before Worf is able to knock him out and resume command. When the battle is over, Martok goes to the mess hall, where Kor already is, to gloat over the recent events. The general does not take the satisfaction he thought he would, as the Dahar Master looks much more like a glimpse into what awaits every long-living Klingon, than a threat anymore. Soon after, ten Jem'Hadar ships appear on the sensors, tracking Martok's squadron despite the fact that they are cloaked. As they slowly gain on them, Worf devises a plan to have one Bird-of-Prey drop out of warp, to engage the Jem'Hadar, buying time for the remaining Birds-of-Prey to make it to the rendezvous with the . Worf volunteers for the mission. Martok's aid briefs Kor on the plan in secret. Kor surprises Worf outside the transporter, stunning him with a hypospray, and taking his place on the doomed Bird of Prey. Thanks to his experience, the Dahar Master is able to engage the whole Jem'Hadar squadron with a single ship, saving the remaining Klingon ships and ending his days as a true warrior. As sensor contact with him is lost and the Jem'Hadar squadron left behind, the Klingon crew take a bottle of Klingon bloodwine and drink and sing a Klingon battle song to Kor, for his heroic warrior sacrifice for them, as they continue to fly to friendly space. While the raid is going on, back on Deep Space 9, Quark eavesdrops on a conversation Ezri is having. From that he understands that Ezri Dax wants to engage in another relationship with Worf and he decides, with the not-so-wise advice of apprentice-barman Jake, to declare himself. In the following conversation with Ezri, she cleared the truth, but she was still charmed by the kind, dear and embarrassing declaration the Ferengi just made to her. Memorable quotes "The only real question is whether you believe in the legend of Davey Crockett or not. If you do, then there should be no doubt in your mind that he died a hero's death. If you do not believe in the legend, then he was just a man, and it does not matter how he died." : - Worf "I heard the news about Jadzia." "She died a warrior." "I expected nothing less." : - Kor and Worf "You'd make a pretty good counselor. You wanna trade jobs?" "Oh yeah, people would love to bring their problems to me... 'You dreamed about what? You're crazy! Get out of my office! Next patient!'" : - Ezri and Kira "Savor the fruit of life, my young friends. It has a sweet taste when it's fresh from the vine. But don't live too long... The taste turns bitter... after a time." : - Kor "I was playing a deep game. I'm not the kind of man who just rushes in and declares himself. I like the chase. But then Mister Today-is-a-good-day-to-die shows up and spoils everything. And now, it's going to happen all over again with Ezri. New body, new personality, but she'll make the same mistake." : - Quark, about Ezri Dax "Die well, Worf." "Today was not my day to die." : - Martok and Worf "How? How did that pompous old man hold off an entire Jem'Hadar fleet with one ship?" "Does it matter?" : - Martok and Worf "When I reach the halls of the hallowed dead, I will find your beloved and remind her that her husband is a noble warrior, and that he still loves no one but her. Goodbye, my friend. Live well. Long live the Empire!" : - Kor, as he beams away after hypoing Worf. "To Kor, a noble warrior to the end!" : - Martok Background information * The title for this episode comes from William Shakespeare's Henry V - Act III, Scene I, lines 1-34, as Henry rouses his troops before an attack on a French castle; "Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more; Or close the wall up with our English dead. In peace there's nothing so becomes a man/As modest stillness and humility: But when the blast of war blows in our ears, Then imitate the action of the tiger; Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood, Disguise fair nature with hard-favour'd rage; Then lend the eye a terrible aspect; Let pry through the portage of the head/Like the brass cannon; let the brow o'erwhelm it/As fearfully as doth a galled rock/O'erhang and jutty his confounded base, Swill'd with the wild and wasteful ocean. Now set the teeth and stretch the nostril wide, Hold hard the breath and bend up every spirit/To his full height. On, on, you noblest English. Whose blood is fet from fathers of war-proof! Fathers that, like so many Alexanders, Have in these parts from morn till even fought/And sheathed their swords for lack of argument: Dishonour not your mothers; now attest/That those whom you call'd fathers did beget you. Be copy now to men of grosser blood, And teach them how to war. And you, good yeoman, Whose limbs were made in England, show us here/The mettle of your pasture; let us swear/That you are worth your breeding; which I doubt not; For there is none of you so mean and base, That hath not noble lustre in your eyes. I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips, Straining upon the start. The game's afoot: Follow your spirit, and upon this charge/Cry 'God for Harry, England, and Saint George'!" This speech is generally regarded as the finest battle rousing speech in all of literature. * As is hinted at in the conversation between O'Brien and Bashir in the teaser, Ronald D. Moore based this episode on the legend of and ; "Did Crockett surrender? Was he executed? Did he die on the walls, swinging his over his head? It depends on whether he's a hero or not, or if he's a legend to you. If he is, then he went out a hero. If you don't think that, then he's just another guy and it doesn't matter how he died. It felt like we could send Kor out the same way. It doesn't really matter how Kor died. It doesn't really matter what he did in those final moments of his life. What matters is the legend." (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion) This notion of the legend being more important than the fact recalls the 1962 movie . It also recalls the second season episode , specifically the character of Li Nalas, who was based on the character from Valance. * Moore based the rivalry between Martok and Kor on class issues mainly due to how each actor had portrayed their respective character in the past; "John Colicos always played Kor as an aristocratic and 'to the manor born' Klingon who ruled by 'divine right'. J.G. Hertzler always made Martok seem like a ''guy, like a common soldier who was worked his way through the ranks. So there was a natural antipathy between the two characters''." (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion) * Kor is seemingly the only person, besides Captain Sisko and Jake, to have known Curzon, Jadzia and Ezri. * This episode features the Raid on Trelka V. During the raid, the Klingons use the meter as a unit of measure instead of the usual kellicam. * Strangely, the Dominion long-range tachyon scanner would never be mentioned again. It is possible it was a prototype. * John Colicos gives his last performance as Kor in this episode. He first appeared in the role thirty-one years previously in . This was Colicos' final acting role before his death on . * This episode is one of J. G. Hertzler's favorites. Talking about it in an interview he said, "To have the amount of profound artistry inherent in John Colicos and Neil Vipond working around you is what you live for. When you get that much experience on stage that still has the juice – that's what made that episode. Plus I had two beautiful Klingon females on either side of me. That didn't hurt!" He also comments, "It's my favorite ''Deep Space Nine script. It was an actor's dream. I got to really let loose my most venomous, vindictive anger at this old man, and just attack him relentlessly. I think that made some of the viewers uncomfortable, because it was hard to like Martok in those scenes, but we all do things that people don't like. It made my character three-dimensional, so I was happy''." Furthermore, "I told the producers that Martok shouldn't join in singing the ballad at the end. They were worried about that, but I said, 'Listen, Martok can give Kor all the due praise, but he cannot sing to him because the hatred is still there, underneath. He does not forgive what that man did.' I thought that was more important for my character than bringing him all the way around. I wanted to leave that show unfallen." (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion) * Armin Shimerman sees this episode as setting up his character for the rest of the season; "For the most part, the season is about Quark either mourning Jadzia or pursuing Ezri. The audience would never accept them as a couple though, so there was never a chance for that. So I spent most of the season crying into my own drinks, woeing the fact that I was getting nowhere with Ezri. Although everybody ''else on the show seemed to get somewhere with her''!" (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion) * A deleted scene in this episode involved Quark sitting at the bar and lamenting his failure with Ezri, and Jake attempting to cheer him up by making him a drink. The scene would have gone between the scene where Quark hears Ezri talking about Kor and thinks she is talking about Worf, and the scene where he confronts her about her feelings. In the scene, as Quark pours out his heart to Jake, Jake is getting flustered because he is trying to concentrate on making the drink, but Quark keeps distracting him, and he keeps getting it wrong, pouring it out and having to start again. The scene was cut for time. * A script for this episode was sold off on the It's A Wrap! sale and auction on eBay. Video and DVD releases *UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 7.4, . *As part of the DS9 Season 7 DVD collection. Links and references Guest stars *John Colicos as "Kor" *J.G. Hertzler as "Martok" *Neil Vipond as Darok *Nancy Youngblut as Kolana *Blake Lindsley as Synon Uncredited co-stars *Cathy DeBuono as M'Pella *Mark Allen Shepherd as Morn References Alamo; American Indian; Battle of the Alamo; bloodwine; Borias Cluster; Caleb IV; Cardassians; cavalry raid; cloaking device; counselor; Crockett, Davy; Dax, Curzon; Dax, Jadzia; Dahar Master; Deep Space 9; defense condition one; disruptor; division; Dominion; Dominion War; Duke; Federation; Felton Prime; flagship; Gowron; graviton; guidance system relay; Halls of the Hallowed Dead; harem; House of Kor; House of Martok; humor; hypospray; inverse graviton burst; Jem'Hadar; Kahless the Unforgettable; Kalandra sector; Kang; Ketha lowlands; Ketha Province; Klingon Empire; Klingon High Council; Klingon Imperial Court; Klingon Imperial Fleet; Klingon Oversight Council; Korma Pass; Lurkan; main deflector; Manora shipyards; Mexicans; Mogh; Moscow Mule; Ninth Fleet; phaser; Qo'noS; Renavi; Romulans; rum; Rynar; Santa Anna; Sheva II; ShiVang; squadron; Sto-vo-kor; supply depot; T'nag; tachyon scanner; targeting sensors; third officer; tongo; transporter room; Travis, William B.; Trelka V; Trelka system; vodka; warp field Starship references ''Ch'tang'', IKS; D5 class; ''Defiant'', USS; ; ; Jem'Hadar fighter; ; Klingon Bird-of-Prey; ''Klothos'', IKS; ''Malpara'', IKS; [[IKS Ning'tao|''Ning'tao', IKS]]; [[IKS Orantho|''Orantho, IKS]]; ''Slivin'', IKS; ; Date references *Early history *19th century *2309 *2350 *2345 External links * * |next= }} Category:DS9 episodes de:Der Dahar-Meister es:Once More Unto the Breach nl:Once More Unto the Breach